As disclosed in patent literature 1, an IC socket for conducting a performance test such as a burn-in test for an IC package has been known heretofore as an electric component socket of this kind.
This IC socket has contact pins that each contact a spherical terminal of an electronic component such as an IC package. These contact pins each have a curved-spring part in its intermediate portion. A contact piece is provided in the upper end of each contact pin, and a round or groove-shaped concave area is formed in the inner surface of this contact piece.
Upon a test of an electric component, a terminal of the electric component is pressed against the contact piece in the upper end of each contact pin from above, so that the contact pin is compressed and the contact piece presses against a terminal of the electric component by the elasticity of the curved-spring part. Upon this press, the edge portion of the concave area formed in the inner surface of each contact piece touches a terminal of the electric component, thus maintaining the area of the contact piece small, allowing a plurality of points to contact the terminal, and improving the electrical conductivity.